Sharing the Gospel with a Catholic Friend
In Sharing the Gospel with a Catholic Friend, Richard Baxter provides a guide to help you engage in meaningful conversations with biblical clarity and faithfulness. As someone who grew up Catholic, Baxter came to the Christian faith as an adult and writes with an understanding and kind perspective.
What I most appreciate about this book is that it does not seek to make caricatures of all Catholics. While Baxter uses the archetypes of Doctrinal Danny and Danielle, Confused Connor, Indifferent Ingrid, and Born-Again Bobby, he reminds us that any particular Catholic may move back and forth among these personas or be a mix of them. He encourages us to consider each individual with compassion.
Connect to Christ
The book tackles six major differences between Catholics and Protestants: (1) authority, (2) justification, (3) the pope, (4) Mary, (5) communion, and (6) purgatory. Baxter is concise and clear in his arguments. What I found most appealing is how he consistently points to Scripture. Beginning with authority, he notes that many Catholics feel intimidated by reading Scripture for themselves—and suggests coming alongside them to read Scripture together.
The book ends not with a call to focus solely on understanding Catholic doctrine, but rather on understanding Catholic people. While Baxter provides compelling answers to doctrinal issues, he urges readers to be sensitive to others and to listen to the Spirit for guidance. This is an incredibly encouraging book, full of hope for those who want to connect their Catholic friends with the true, freeing, grace-filled gospel of Jesus Christ.
I received a media copy of Sharing the Gospel with a Catholic Friend and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.